Aphrodite
Who Is Aphrodite?
Aphrodite was known as the goddess of beauty, love, and sexual rapture. There are two mths on how Aphrodite was born. One myth is Homer, the poet, designated her the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another myth is Cronos cut off Uranus' genitals and threw them into the ocean. Then all of the sudden a mysterious foam appeared and arose Aphrodite.
Her Love Life
Since Zeus thought that all of the gods would want Aphrodite's hand in marriage, he gave her to Hephaestus, the god of smith. He was very grateful and used his skills to make many jewels for her. Even though he gave her many jewels, she had many affairs and children with other gods and mortals. One affair, she loved Adonis, but so did Persephone, the goddess of the underworld. The girls fought over Adonis, so Zeus told Adonis he had to spend equal time with each girl.
What Was She Worshipped as or Known as in Other Cultures?
In Sparta, she was worshiped as a war and sea goddess, and the patroness of sailors. In Roman mythology she is known as Venus.
The Trojan War
Zeus forced Paris, the Trojan prince, to choose between Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena to award one of them the Apple of Discord. All of the goddesses bribed Paris with many gifts, but Aphrodite's gift was the best. She bribed him by giving him many beautiful women. She got awarded, then the Trojan war started. Aphrodite backed up the Trojans because of her promises to Paris. Hera and Athena helped aided the Greeks.
What were Aphrodite's Attributes?
Her attributes were the dove, swan, turtle, swallow, sparrow, pomegranate, and the lime tree.
Citations
1) "Encyclopedia Mythica." : Greek Mythology. MMIX Encyclopedia Mythica, 03 Mar. 1997. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. (Website 1)
2) "Aphrodite." Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. (Website 2)
3) "Aphrodite." UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. N.p.: n.p., 2009.GVRL. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
(Database)
4) Kravitz, David. Who's Who in Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: C.N. Potter, 1976. Print. (Print)